


Fidelity

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Wingbeats [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6353272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the end of his training year approaches, Oikawa is encouraged to use his skills to form a partnership with the dragon everyone wants to ride: Ushijima. But there's only one dragon Oikawa wants to be paired with, and it's definitely not Ushijima.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doubts

"Oikawa, why did you turn down flying with Ushijima?" Semi, one of the other trainees in that year's Flock Two demanded. "Ushijima is the most powerful pedigree dragon in the whole base, and he deserves the best rider!"

"I thought you wanted to ride Ushiwaka, Semi," Oikawa replied, deflecting the question as he pulled his flying gear on. "Shouldn't you be happy that I refuse to fly with him?"

"I saw you fly with him last week. It only took you one lap around the training grounds to completely adjust to him. You two pulled stunts we haven't even been taught yet, things I didn't think as dragon as big as Ushijima could do," Semi snapped. "Oikawa, you're the best rider we've had in years, and you can connect to the dragons and understand them so quickly...I'm pretty sure every dragon this year wants you for their rider. So why don't you want to fly the best dragon that's ever come through training?" Oikawa frowned and turned to leave the changing room, gear in place.

"I am flying the best dragon," Oikawa replied. "I'm flying with Iwa-chan today."

"You turned down Ushijima because you want to fly with _Iwaizumi_?" Semi exclaimed. "He's impressive, sure, but he's not... Iwaizumi is a wild dragon. He doesn't have the same power or stamina as a pedigree. All he's got that comes even close to Ushijima is his color!"

"Well, maybe his scales match my riding gear," Oikawa snapped, stepping out and heading for where their flock's dragons waited. "You fly Ushijima today, Semi."

"The flock leader won't let me!" the other trainee hissed, glaring. "Even though I've spent almost a whole year trying to work with Ushijima, and I've done everything I can to help him grow and develop even more, I'm not a skilled enough rider to be paired with him permanently. That's why I want you to ride him. I know you can match him and help him."

"No one knows Ushiwaka like you do," Oikawa protested. "Who would they..." Semi sighed and nodded to where a third trainee from their flock was talking with the huge purple dragon named Ushijima. "Oh. They picked Shirabu? I thought he and Tendou were doing well together?"

"Flock leaders know Shirabu's better than me. I'm flying Tendou today," Semi said quietly.

"I'm sorry. But I'm still flying with Iwa-chan," Oikawa replied. Semi shook his head, still apparently mystified by Oikawa's choice of dragon.

"Oikawa!" Ushijima bellowed suddenly, having spotted him and abandoned his conversation with Shirabu to make his way over. The dragon lowered his enormous purple snout to study Oikawa. "Why aren't you flying with me today?"

"Because I'm not your rider, Ushiwaka," Oikawa replied. "From what I hear, Shirabu is going to be taking care of you. So enjoy that." He turned to walk away, then froze in his tracks when Ushijima spoke again.

"I've requested you, though. As my permanent rider. Didn't the flock leaders tell you?" Oikawa froze, glanced at Semi, who nodded.

"I wasn't sure how to bring it up after you said you didn't want to fly with him," Semi admitted.

"It doesn't matter," Oikawa said grimly. "I'm not going to be your rider, Ushiwaka. I already have a dragon."

"Who, Iwaizumi? He's a rare green dragon, sure, but he's not a pedigree. He's not as strong as I am, either," the purple dragon pointed out. Oikawa fought down the urge to scream at them, all of them, trainees and dragons and flock leaders alike. Because Oikawa was sick of being told that he should partner with their 'best dragon'. He didn't _want_ to ride Ushijima. The raw power and shimmering purple scales that the other riders were so enamored with didn't appeal to Oikawa at all.

"Oikawa, there you are. Hurry up, idiot," a gruff voice said. A smooth, scaled snout nudged the back of Oikawa's shoulder, and he turned to beam at the green dragon. Iwaizumi wasn't as big as Ushijima - no dragon in their year was as big as Ushijima - but he wasn't a runt by any measure, and his green scales were breathtaking. Oikawa grinned and patted the dragon's snout happily.

"I'm coming, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa replied, jogging to the dragon's side and pulling himself into the saddle already secured on his back. "Have fun with Shirabu, Ushiwaka!" Oikawa patted Iwaizumi's neck and added, "Let's fly." Iwaizumi let out a pleased snort, then launched himself into the air, not bothering to step away from Ushijima before doing so. Oikawa couldn't help the excited cry that escaped his lips as they rose higher into the air. He didn't care which dragon the flock leaders thought was better. Iwaizumi was only considered a wild dragon because he hadn't been hatched in the riders' base like Ushijima. Iwaizumi had been hatched in the wild, near Oikawa's family's home. The dragon had stumbled across Oikawa when he was a child, lost and far enough from the village that there was no one to ask for help. Iwaizumi had brought Oikawa back to the cave where a flock of wild dragons lived, and they had helped him get home. Ever since, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had been friends, and Oikawa had known how to ride a dragon way before he came to the base with Iwaizumi so they could train and become an official pair. Thinking about official pairs reminded Oikawa about what Ushijima had said. "Hey, Iwa-chan?" The dragon stopped flapping his wings, steadying so they were gliding in a circle, which created much less noise and allowed them to talk.

"What?"

"Have you requested a permanent rider yet?" Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi chuckled, and Oikawa felt the vibrations from the sound through the saddle.

"Of course I have. As soon as the flock leaders' dragons told us we could put in a request once we were sure who we wanted, I said I wanted any rider except you," the dragon teased.

"You're so mean!" Oikawa pouted, swatting at the scales on the dragon's neck lightly. He paused, palm resting on the warm scales. Then he admitted, "Ushiwaka requested me, too."

"I know," Iwaizumi sighed. "Tendou was talking about it. He's sure no one would turn down Ushijima, so he was saying that he's trying to choose between the next two best riders, Semi and Shirabu, as though Tendou would really be happy with anyone but Semi." Oikawa glanced around, saw that most of their flock was still on the ground, and then leaned forward in the saddle, laying along Iwaizumi's neck.

"I don't want to ride Ushijima," Oikawa said. "I've never wanted to fly with any dragon but you."

"I know. I'm sure they'll just let you pick. That's what usually happens when two dragons pick the same rider, right?" Iwaizumi pointed out. Somewhat reassured, Oikawa smiled and straightened in the saddle.

"Let's practice our stunts while we wait for them to get up here," he suggested. Iwaizumi replied by flapping his wings and pulling out of his glide, climbing higher.

\-----

That night, as Iwaizumi made his way back to his cave, in human form, he passed some of the trainees in his flock talking to some of the trainees that would be assigned to flocks for the next year soon.

"Is it true that Trainee Oikawa is going to ride Ushijima?" one of the trainees-to-be asked.

"Ushijima requested him. But Oikawa wants to stay with the dragon he came here with," Shirabu replied. Incredulous cries rose from the younger humans, and Iwaizumi bit back a snarl. Oikawa was _Iwaizumi's_ rider, and everyone should know that by now. Iwaizumi was the one who knew Oikawa best, the one who could anticipate what maneuver he would signal for before the signal actually came. Iwaizumi was the one Oikawa would sneak out late to ask for extra flying practice, because Oikawa always had to be working, or he would feel like others would catch up to him, and Oikawa wanted - _needed_ \- to be the best. Iwaizumi was the one who had encouraged Oikawa to stick through the early training, when the other trainees thought Oikawa, a boy from a village out by the wild dragons, would never be able to ride the way the children of dragon riders could. Ushijima only saw the results of Oikawa's hard work, and Iwaizumi was convinced that Ushijima only wanted Oikawa for those results, whereas Iwaizumi wanted Oikawa as his rider because Oikawa was still the hardworking, dedicated, insecure, amazing person Iwaizumi had found lost in wild dragon territory years before.

"Why would Oikawa stay with a wild dragon?" one of the trainees asked. Iwaizumi scowled. That should be obvious: because of their friendship, their history, the mututal understanding they had, the way they had always supported each other.

"Because Iwaizumi's scales match his riding gear," Semi replied, rolling his eyes. Iwaizumi tensed. What? Because of his coloring? "That's what he told me today before training, anyway."

That couldn't be right. Could it? Oikawa wouldn't say something like that, would he?

Yeah, he totally would, and Iwaizumi knew it. He didn't think Oikawa would mean something like that, but the idea that anyone would believe that Oikawa only stayed as Iwaizumi's rider because Iwaizumi's scales matched Oikawa's riding gear...

It made Iwaizumi want to shift to full dragon form and maim the trainees. Instead, he turned and stomped toward his cave. He didn't know if the humans had noticed his presence, and he didn't care. Even though Oikawa had told him earlier that same day that he didn't want to fly with any other dragon, even though Iwaizumi knew that Ushijima could never work with Oikawa the way Iwaizumi could, even though he knew that Oikawa had probably just been joking, the nagging thought that maybe it was true wouldn't leave him alone.

Because Iwaizumi was fully aware that while he was confident in his ability to work with Oikawa, he also knew that Ushijima was the stronger, more desirable dragon. Most riders would give anything to ride Ushijima even once. And now that he thought about it, Oikawa never wanted to talk about how it actually was to fly with Ushijima. Sudden self-doubt swept over Iwaizumi. What if the reason Oikawa never talked to him about flying with Ushijima was because Oikawa actually preferred riding the purple dragon, and he felt like he owed it to Iwaizumi to stay with him because of their friendship.

"Iwa-chan!" Oikawa sang out, seeing him and darting over to throw an arm around his shoulders. "Can we go flying again once everyone's asleep?" Iwaizumi frowned. What if Oikawa asking Iwaizumi for extra flying practice because he knew Iwaizumi was less likely to say no, not because he actually wanted to fly with Iwaizumi?

"Not tonight," Iwaizumi sighed, trying to push the negative thoughts away. He _knew_ that Oikawa cared about him, and Oikawa thought they were the best match, too. But something in the way Semi had said it - exasperated, but completely sure - made Iwaizumi hesitate. It also made him furious, because Oikawa was _Iwaizumi's_ , but he had to remind himself that technically their partnership wasn't recognized by the other dragons and riders, so Iwaizumi couldn't let himself think that yet. Which, of course, just reminded him that as far as the other dragons were concerned, Oikawa was fair game to request as a rider.

"Why not?" Oikawa pouted.

"Because we were flying all day, and I'm tired," Iwaizumi replied. "And you need to get a full night's sleep once in a while." Oikawa's pouting intensified, and Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "If you want to pout to get what you want, go ask Ushijima or someone." Iwaizumi had to resist the urge to flinch, because that came out more sullen than he'd intended. Oikawa studied him for a long moment.

"You're upset," Oikawa observed. "What happened?" Iwaizumi considered trying to tell him nothing was wrong, but the part of him that knew that his insecurities were groundless insisted he just ask and get it over with.

"I overheard Semi and Shirabu talking to some younger trainees," the dragon said, tilting his head to look up at the sky instead of at Oikawa. "Apparently everyone is really stunned that you haven't accepted Ushijima's request yet, especially because the reason you gave Semi for flying with me instead is because my scales match your riding gear." Iwaizumi tried to keep his tone even, he really did, but the words came out bitter, resentful. Oikawa was silent for a moment.

"Well, it's true that my riding gear goes very nicely with your scales," he said finally. "But that's because I picked the gear to match you. You know I've never wanted to fly with any other dragon. Remember the first time the flock leader told me to fly with Tendou?" Iwaizumi laughed, his previous worries fading.

"You refused, and Tendou was so offended that he sulked for hours, and you got assigned to clean all of the caves out by yourself," the dragon remembered, amused.

"If the commanders ever tried to assign me as a permanent rider for another dragon, I'd quit. I'd rather go back to the village and take over my father's store than ride another dragon," Oikawa told him seriously. Then he laughed humorlessly and added, "Actually, I keep waiting for the other riders to figure out how amazing you are and start trying to get you to request them. I might be the best right now, but I'm afraid that someone is going to surpass me and then..." Iwaizumi studied him for a moment.

"We're both being ridiculous," he announced. "I can tell you with complete certainty that there will never be a better rider for me than you."

"And there's never going to be another dragon I want to partner with," Oikawa replied. Iwaizumi smiled and lifted his hands to frame Oikawa's face gently.

"As soon as we pass the final test, I'm going to be your dragon, and you're going to be my rider," he murmured. "Which means that you need your sleep, so you're not exhausted for training tomorrow." Oikawa pouted again, and Iwaizumi smiled. "You can stay with me tonight instead of going back to the barracks." That made the pout vanish. Because they were still in their year of training, there wasn't a full apartment attached to the cave Iwaizumi slept in. Actually, there wasn't even a bed for Oikawa. Instead, when they reached the cave, Iwaizumi shifted to his dragon form. Oikawa went to a niche in the wall and dragged out the bedding they kept stashed there. After arranging a makeshift bed for himself out of the blankets, Oikawa lay down. Iwaizumi curled around him, spreading his wing protectively over the rider.

"Hey, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa murmured, reaching up to trail his fingertips along the smooth warmth of the dragon's wing.

"Go to sleep," Iwaizumi rumbled.

"Just one question. I thought dragons were supposed to be all possessive of their riders," Oikawa mused.

"That's not a question," Iwaizumi pointed out.

"I don't think I've ever seen you angry and possessive over me," the rider continued.

"Still not a question."

"But you were worried about me riding Ushijima instead of you. So you're obviously invested in making our partnership permanent. I think you don't consider me officially your rider yet, so you're not sure you should be possessive. But I bet once we've passed the test, you'll start snarling and flaring your wings if I get on another dragon."

"Is there ever going to be a question in this?" Iwaizumi growled. Oikawa smiled and tilted his head to study the dragon's face.

"Once we get quarters of our own, a proper cave with a nice apartment attached, will you sleep in human form in the apartment with me?" he asked. Iwaizumi huffed and flicked the tip of his tail, swatting at Oikawa's leg.

"Only if you actually sleep instead of talking all night." Oikawa laughed and closed his eyes. After a few moments, Iwaizumi spoke again. "Once you're officially my rider, you're _my_ rider, and even Ushijima should think twice before trying to get you to fly with him. Or better yet, not think about it at all. Does that answer the question you really wanted to ask?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Oikawa said lightly. Iwaizumi snorted and lifted his wing.

"Like hell you don't. Come here." Oikawa sat up and leaned toward the dragon's head. Iwaizumi shifted, nudging the human with his muzzle. "I was worried and a little insecure about the fact that Ushijima is obviously the more desirable dragon. But if - when - you do choose my request over his, and we pass, if anyone objects, human or dragon, I will _annihilate_ them. Now go to sleep, idiot." Oikawa grinned, then flopped back onto his blankets. Iwaizumi laid his wing over him again and closed his eyes.


	2. Get it Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter dedicated to cyborgtoaster for exchanging ideas and chatting with me!  
> Have some IwaOi fluffy background building! I hope you like it!  
> Oh, and if there's anything anyone wants to see about Iwa and Oikawa before the events of Iridescence, let me know, and this is where it'll show up.

Oikawa finished removing the saddle, then beamed and threw his arms around Iwaizumi's neck, ignoring the way the dragon's scales dug into his cheek. Iwaizumi shifted forms, wrapped his arms around Oikawa's waist and spun, pulling the rider with him. They were both out of breath and grinning too widely to talk, so they just held onto each other, spinning until they fell over in a heap of tangled limbs and laughter, Oikawa landing on Iwaizumi's chest.

"We did it," Oikawa gasped, pulling away from Iwaizumi just enough to beam down at him. "Iwa-chan, we did it!" Iwaizumi laughed and reached up to ruffle the rider's hair.

"I thought you were going to fall off when you signaled for those extra stunts," Iwaizumi complained. "You're so reckless."

"But you did them! And we made it! And we still beat Ushiwaka's time!" Oikawa replied, utterly unrepentant. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. But he had Shirabu riding, and they've only been working together for a few weeks," he pointed out. "Come on. We're independent until we're offered a place in a flock or assigned to a new trainee flock, right? Let's go see our new quarters." Oikawa grinned and got to his feet. They'd already been told which cave and apartment would be theirs, as long as they passed. Iwaizumi shifted to dragon form as he rose, and Oikawa took his place on the dragon's back with easy familiarity, even without the saddle, and trailed his fingertips over the dark green scales on his neck. Iwaizumi turned and nuzzled at his rider's shoulder, then leaped into the sky, circling once before tilting one wing and turning in the direction of the unassigned dragons' caves.

\-----

 _Iwaizumi, what are you doing?_ Iwaizumi paused, hearing another dragon's voice echoing in his mind. He recognized the voice as Sawamura Daichi, one of the dragons Iwaizumi had gotten to know fairly well in the weeks since he and Oikawa had become an offical pair. so he lifted his head and looked around. Oikawa, who had been leaning against Iwaizumi's side as the dragon lay curled around him on the sunlit cliff above their quarters despite the late fall chill, stirred and frowned. As Iwaizumi scanned their surroundings for Daichi, his focus slipped. He'd been keeping his fire breath ready without actually shooting the flames out, which warmed his body so Oikawa wouldn't get cold. It also had the pleasant bonus of making Iwaizumi's scent stronger, so it would linger on his rider longer than usual. With Iwaizumi distracted, the heat had faded.

"Iwa-chan? What is it?" Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi lowered his head and huffed a warm breath over the rider, who scrunched up his nose in response.

"It's nothing. Go back to your nap," he rumbled, focusing on heating up again. Oikawa settled back against Iwaizumi's side, and the dragon looked around again.

 _What do you want, Sawamura?_ he asked.

 _Does your rider know how often he smells like you?_ Sawamura's voice growled.

 _I don't know what you're talking about,_ Iwaizumi replied firmly. _I'm just keeping him warm._

 _You're practically pouring your scent over him, just like you have every day since you two finished your training year. Even humans are going to be able to smell it soon, and dragons are going to start congratulating him, because he smells like he's been claimed as a mate,_ Sawamura warned. Iwaizumi managed not to tense up, since that would disturb Oikawa.

 _He's been my friend for as long as I can remember, and now he's my rider. Why shouldn't he smell like me?_ Iwaizumi growled. _I'm not claiming him as a mate, I'm just making sure other dragons know not to mess with him._

 _Does he know about what you're doing? Because you really shouldn't get your scent all over someone without asking and explaining what it means first,_ the older dragon told him sternly.

 _It doesn't mean what you think it means,_ Iwaizumi insisted. _It's fine._

 _You're using your fire to warm him up. You do remember that dragons can only use their fire for their mates or children, don't you?_ Sawamura sighed. Iwaizumi couldn't stop himself from tensing this time. Oikawa sat up, no longer leaning against him, and studied him worriedly.

_I'm not..._

_Have you ever been able to do your little heating trick when Oikawa isn't around?_ Sawamura asked pointedly. Iwaizumi stared down at the human he was curled around. Oh. Oh, that was...

"Iwa-chan?" Oikawa was staring back at him, brown eyes wide with worry.

 _Oh._ The word seemed too small for the enormous realization that had just flooded his mind. He wasn't just protective of his longtime friend and partner, his rider. He loved him. Iwaizumi was in love with him. _Oh. Oh, no. What do I do?_

 _You know I can't tell you what to do,_ Sawamura chuckled. _But if you want my advice, talk to him. Tell him about the scenting and claiming and for everyone's sanity, stop licking his hair in public. Not only is his whining about it annoying, but there are much less obvious ways to claim someone._

 _You're one to talk,_ Iwaizumi grumbled. _You and your silver mating mark and your constantly hovering around your rider._

 _At least Suga is fully aware of what it means when I nuzzle on him,_ Sawamura countered. _Seriously. Talk to him. Before he starts whining._

_Where are you? I don't see you anywhere, but you're talking like you know exactly what's happening._

_The cliff you're on is directly above my cave,_ Sawamura grouched. _I can hear everything he's saying, and I think the dragons four levels below my cave can smell you pouring fire-heat on him._ Iwaizumi shuffled his wings guiltily.

_Sorry?_

_Don't apologize to me. Talk to your rider,_ Sawamura grumbled. Iwaizumi returned his attention to Oikawa, who was beginning to look really upset.

"If you're doing the telepathy thing with another dragon, that's really rude," Oikawa snapped. "And if you're not, then you're just ignoring me, which is even worse." Iwaizumi lowered his head to nudge his rider's shoulder with his snout, then stopped. This was the kind of thing Sawamura was talking about. Iwaizumi was always touching Oikawa. It had mostly been normal nudges since they'd come to the riders' base, but since they'd become an official pair, Iwaizumi had found himself touching Oikawa as much as possible, to remind himself and the other dragons that his was real, Oikawa really had chosen to partner with Iwaizumi instead of Ushijima like everyone thought Oikawa should.

"I'm sorry. Sawamura was just being unusually chatty," Iwaizumi replied. He paused, debating how to explain this to his rider, because Iwaizumi and all the other dragons Oikawa had ever met had avoided explaining scenting and similar topics to the human. He wondered if, maybe, if he just stopped, or at least cut back, the other dragons - Sawamura included - would forget about it.

"Chatty?" Oikawa repeated, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What would Sawamura want to chat with you about?"

"Probably the fire-scent he's been pouring on you," a familiar voice replied cheerfully. Iwaizumi whirled and snarled at the rust-colored dragon who was standing there, wings lifted and tail curled rather smugly.

"Fire-scent?" Oikawa repeated.

"Don't tell me that's the one thing you don't know about dragons," the newcomer snickered.

"Shut up and go away, Tendou," Iwaizumi growled, glaring. The rust-colored dragon laughed and stepped sideways, eyeing Oikawa.

"You seriously don't know about dragon fire and scent and stuff?"

" _Tendou_ ," Iwaizumi snarled, shifting so he was between Oikawa and the other dragon. He flared his wings, lifted his head, reminding Tendou that Iwaizumi might not have been the strongest dragon in their training year, but that was only because Ushijima had been ahead of him until their final test, and Iwaizumi was larger and faster than Tendou. "Oikawa, we're going back to the cave." Oikawa was staring between the two dragons, frowning.

"If you ever get curious, I'll explain it to you," Tendou offered, a smirk tinting his voice. Iwaizumi roared, flames shooting from his mouth. Tendou yelped and almost fell backwards. "I forgot you could do that," he grumbled, regaining his footing and shaking himself irritably.

"You were just complaining about the fire and scent, and you _forgot I could breathe fire _?" Iwaizumi snarled, flames still sparking around his fangs. Tendou snorted and took a cautious step back. "Oikawa. Get on my back." Oikawa hesitated, then scrambled onto Iwaizumi's back. With a final glare at Tendou, Iwaizumi turned and launched himself off the cliff. Moments later, he maneuvered his way into his cave and crouched so Oikawa could slide to the ground.__

"What was that all about, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa asked, frowning at the dragon. Iwaizumi folded his wings neatly and tilted his head, widening his eyes the way Oikawa often did when he was trying to look innocent. "Iwaizumi." The dragon looked away. " _Hajime._ " Iwaizumi sighed and shifted to human form. "What was Tendou talking about? Fire-scent? What is that? And why haven't I ever heard of it?"

"Because my family didn't want to explain certain things to the nice human child I played with in the forest," Iwaizumi answered with a sigh. His control over his human form wavered, and his normally spiky hair flattened in embarrassment. Oikawa blinked at that; it had been years since Iwaizumi had lost control of his form enough for something like that to happen. Oikawa sat on the ledge Iwaizumi usually slept on and crossed his arms. Iwaizumi sat beside him. "I really should've told you before we came here, and Sawamura was right, I _really_ should have told you after we became an official pair." He stopped for a moment, wondering where to start, when sighed. "You know how I've been nuzzling you a lot more and complaining less about you wanting to use me as a heat source? Well, when I do things like that - especially the heating thing - it leaves my scent on you, which tells the other dragons that you're...well, mine," he admitted. Oikawa's eyes widened.

"Okay, I knew about the nuzzling thing," Oikawa said. "Dragons do that with friends and family, especially within a flock. I've known that for years. The warmth thing is new, though."

"That's because the heating trick I do is related to my firebreathing, which _no one_ wants to explain that to a human," Iwaizumi replied. "Look...you know how some dragons can breathe fire and some can't?"

"Yeah, you never explained that to me," Oikawa agreed.

"That's because dragons can only use their fire when they're defending their mates," Iwaizumi grumbled, looking away. For a long moment, Oikawa was completely silent.

"You've been able to breathe fire for years, though. I didn't think you had a mate," Oikawa said finally. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and stared at his rider.

"I don't. Not another dragon, anyway," he replied. It took a second, but then Oikawa's eyes flew wide, and he flushed bright red.

"You- but- I..." he spluttered. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't understand it at first," Iwaizumi answered honestly. "I mean, it's not like my parents had told me about what it would mean if I ever managed to breathe fire before you stumbled into a bandit camp and nearly got yourself killed while we were playing in the woods."

"I didn't do it on purpose! And I didn't ask you to burn down the camp to save me," Oikawa added, pouting. Iwaizumi snorted.

"You were crying so hard that the older dragons were afraid you'd never stop," Iwaizumi informed him. "And before you ask, I never told you once I found out about the fire breathing because I didn't actually believe it. I knew that it takes a lot of possessiveness and protectiveness to let a dragon breathe fire, but I guess I thought that caring your friend was close enough. I mean, you'd been my best friend since the day you got lost in the woods and I found you. I learned to fly while you were being annoying and climbing on my back and pulling my tail. I found out I have a ticklish spot under my wing because you wouldn't stop poking me. But I never realized..."

"So you, what? Just started leaving your scent on me once you were sure I'd chosen you?" Oikawa asked.

"Something like that," Iwaizumi admitted, shrugging. "It wasn't until today, when Sawamura complained about how much I've been leaving my scent on you, that it all made sense. You know how scared I was sometimes that you would choose another dragon. One stronger than me, faster...better. And now that you really have chosen me, I wanted to make sure no one tried to snatch you away. But I wasn't just afraid of someone else taking my rider, or losing my best friend."

"Does this mean you're not going to laugh at me when I tell you I think I'm in love with you?" Oikawa asked tentatively. Iwaizumi froze. His hair spiked out more than usual, and a blush crept over his cheeks.

"You mean it?" Iwaizumi whispered, staring at him. Oikawa nodded. "So you don't think it's weird that I've apparently been thinking of you as my mate for years?"

"Oh, no, that's definitely weird," Oikawa replied, grinning. "Don't I at least get to kiss you before I become your mate?" Iwaizumi's blush grew, and Oikawa's cheeks were dusted with pink, too, now. They leaned forward at the same time, hesitated, their faces a breath apart. Then Iwaizumi tilted his head, brought their lips together. Their first kiss was clumsy, awkward, but when they pulled back, they were both grinning. "We'll have to practice that," Oikawa decided. "Oh, and you mentioned something about mating marks?"

"Ah...I'll explain that another time," Iwaizumi told him, leaning in for another kiss before Oikawa could protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts: Iwaizumi and Oikawa eventually do this whole fun ceremony thing that I might or might not write out, but Oikawa gets a green swirling mark over his heart, and Iwaizumi gets a matching mark over his, except Iwa's is white and stands out against his green scales.


End file.
